We Give Thanks, MTA: Our Holiday Trains Should Run Smooth as Gravy

We can tell it’s Thanksgiving for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s suddenly quite cold. My light jacket on top of a T-shirt are, unfortunately, no longer cutting it. The days of summer or even a crisp fall suddenly seem far-back in our pre-election past. Yes, Pumpkin Spice is all around us, like it or not, and, since it’s Thanksgiving weekend, the trains in our lovely metropolitan will be affected.

But, really, this year, it doesn’t look so bad. While there will be some breakdowns and changes because of course there will be, there are none planned that will damn your city-wide commutes.

Starting this afternoon at 3 PM through this evening at 10, you will have the opportunity to see the Balloons for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade inflated. Ever wanted to see Bart Simpson, or Pikachu, or even Iron Man’s new pal Spider-Man come to gigantic life before your eyes? Take the B or C train up to the Upper West Side (81st Street, Museum of Natural History, or the 1 up to 79th Street), and you’ll them in preparation.

If you plan on entering the insanity that is the sight-to-be-seen spectacle of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade itself (I cannot blame you for trying, but loyally watching on TV each year with a hot mug of anything in my hands is enough for me), you’ll have to get to it early. Subways and buses on Thursday are running on a Sunday schedule, and you can hitch a spot anywhere from West 77th Street, all the way down to Columbus Circle; at that point the parade continues its route and winds up, as you might have guessed, on 7th Avenue in front of Macy’s Herald Square. It’s here where parade performances are held.

A number of subway lines will get you there, including the 1-2-3, the A-C-E, the D-F, and even the S, to Times Square, all of which will run nice and smooth. Meanwhile, if you’re taking the C train, you’ll have to do so after 6 AM (with the A as an alternative), because it won’t be running quite that early, if you are really a Thanksgiving Day go-getter.

And—weirdly enough—the remainder of the Weekend, outside of unforeseen circumstances, we won’t see any changes to trains running in Brooklyn or Manhattan. Friday will maintain a regular weekday schedule, while Saturday and Sunday are planning on a normal weekend schedule.

I’ve gotta say, It’s pretty nice to see something go according to schedule this November.